Shelf support fitting

ABSTRACT

A fitting to support a shelf and hanger bar to receive coat hangers, comprising a frame of several wall longitudinal and perpendicular to each other. This fitting overcomes problems when the back wall and the end wall are not at 90 degrees to each other by covering the gap that would appear at the front end and top of the shelf. It also conceals any rough edge on the shelf from the saw cut.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[0001] While operating a closet shop we had problems installing shelving in closets where the end wall and the back wall were off square or not at 90 degrees to each other. When this was the case there would be a gap on part of the top of the shelf and at the front of the self where it abuts the end wall. I searched the market place for a product that would solve our problem but could find no product. I searched the Patent area and found a shelf support fitting US. Patent # 064158 but this shelf support fitting was of no use in solving our problem. I will explain why. U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,158 titled shelf support fitting, filed Mar. 17, 1987, application Ser. No. 026942, pertains to supporting the back of a cantilevered glass shelf 7″ deep by 21″ long. In their claim there is no reference to supporting the end of a shelf and they refer 45 times to supporting the rear or back of a glass shelf. U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,158 could not be used on the end of a shelf that goes between two walls without a major change to its design. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,158 is secured by screws that go through at the back of the slot where the self goes in so if you install a shelf support fitting on, for example, the right end wall of a closet, you would then have to put the other shelf support fitting on the left end of the shelf Then as the right end of the shelf went into the first shelf support fitting that was installed on the right and with the other support fitting on the left end of the shelf, you would have to raise the left end into position, and the screw holes are now in behind the shelf The shelf cannot be secured to the left wall.

[0002] When installing a shelf between two walls you can only put one shelf support fitting on the wall first. To support the other end of the shelf between two walls, the other shelf support has to be put on the end of the shelf before it is raised into position. As the screw holes in U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,158 are in behind the shelf, you cannot secure it to the wall.

[0003] If you Install U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,158 on both end walls and then try to slide the shelf in from the front end of their shelf support fitting, there is not enough room from the front of their shelf support fitting and the front wall of the closet. As an example, if you want a 16″ deep shelf and the closet is 24″ deep, which is what most closets are, there is not enough room in front of the shelf support fitting to allow the shelf to go into place. I might add at this point that U.S. Pat. 5,064,158 shelf support fitting comes with a length of 21″, so it would have to be cut to whatever length you needed. The only time you could use U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,158 shelf support fitting would be in a walk-in closet. The way U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,158 is designed, the shelf has to be slipped in from the front, not slid in from the end. The rubber material used to support the cantilever glass shelf is designed that way. U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,158 does not come packaged as a pair. It comes in a box with one shelf support fitting and a piece of glass 7″ deep by 21″ wide and the gasket needed to put in the slot which is of no use when you want to use a shelf board. U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,158 is not meant to be use to support the end of a closet shelf, only a cantilevered glass shelf.

[0004] With my design, the shelf support fitting comes in pairs. One shelf support fitting is fastened to the right end wall of the closet, and the shelf is cut ½″ shorter than the shortest measurement across the closet. You then slip the left shelf support fitting on the left end of the shelf. With the left end of the shelf lower, you let the right end of the shelf slip into the shelf support fitting that you installed on the right wall end first, then lift the left end of the shelf into position and as the screw holes are located below where the shelf goes into the shelf support fitting, it can be secured to the left wall. This can be done either way with the left shelf support fitting first and then the right. It depends which way the person installing the shelf wants to work. With the top and front wall of the shelf support fitting protruding approximately ½″ out from the end wall of the closet, any gap or rough sawn edge on the end of the shelf is concealed. This makes it very easy for anyone from the novice to the skilled tradesman to install.

[0005] I designed the moulds, had them made and produced my product, which solved our problem. This product has been well received by the construction industry and the do-it-yourself market in our area.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The substance or general idea of the claimed invention is that it solved a problem that we had when installing closet shelving between two walls of a closet when the end wall and back wall were not at 90 degrees to each other. When the shelf was cut square there would be a gap along part of the shelf top and at the front. We found that an installer had to try to cut the shelf board at the same angle as the end wall, use a very fine saw and then sand any saw cut chip on the end with sandpaper. This took a considerable amount of time and sometimes several pieces of shelf board. With the design of my shelf support fitting, we were able to cut the shelf board square with any type of saw, and as mentioned in our background, with the top and front of the shelf board covered, installation was very easy and saved a lot of time. It also left a very neat looking job. 

I claim:
 1. A shelf support fitting to support the end of a shelf where it abuts the end wall of a room, at each end of the shelf where the shelf abuts the end wall of a room, the shelf support fitting comprising; a moulded high impact polystyrene shelf support fitting, with three horizontal and substantially perpendicular walls that receive the shelf board, the shelf support fittings top wall is for covering any gap created when the walls at the end of the shelf are not parallel to each other and when the shelf is cut square, there would be a gap on the top, this top wall which protrudes from the end wall of the room then covers the gap; the second wall or centre wall of the shelf support fitting which is horizontal and substantially perpendicular to the end wall of the room, supports the shelf as it goes between the top wall and the second or centre wall of the shelf support fitting; the third wall or lower wall of the shelf support fitting which is horizontal and substantially perpendicular to the end wall of a room, is to support the second or centre wall of the shelf support fitting by means of several vertical and substantially perpendicular walls that are vertical between the second or centre wall and the third or lower wall of the shelf support fitting; there is a vertical and substantially perpendicular wall at the front of the shelf support fitting between the top wall and the second or centre wall of the shelf support fitting which protrudes from the end wall of the shelf support fitting, this wall will cover any gap at the front of the self at the end where the shelf abuts the end wall of a room; there are holes of two different sizes moulded into the end wall of the shelf support fitting, the larger hole is to receive a wall grip when the shelf support fitting is to be secured to a hollow wall construction, the smaller hole is to receive a normal screw when securing the shelf support fitting to a end wall of a room that has solid support in the end wall of a room, holes may be drilled anywhere between the second or centre wall and the third or lower wall of the shelf support fitting to accommodate a screw where there is solid backing where the shelf support fitting abuts the end wall of a room; there are slightly off-shaped rectangle walls moulded into the shelf support fitting under the second or centre wall of the shelf support fitting and goes down passed the third or lower wall of the shelf support fitting sufficiently to accommodate the hanger bar entering the slightly off-shaped rectangle that is moulded in the end wall of the shelf support fitting that abuts the end wall of a room, there is a front wall of the off-shaped rectangle of the shelf support fitting that is vertical and substantially perpendicular to the end wall of the shelf support fitting that abuts the end wall of a room and protrudes out from the end wall of the shelf support fitting the same distance as the top wall, the second or centre wall and the third or lower wall of the shelf support fitting, this wall helps support the second or centre wall of the shelf support fitting that is horizontal and substantially perpendicular to the end wall of a room and also supports the bottom wall of the off-shaped rectangle of the shelf support fitting, this wall supports the hanger bar, the bottom wall of the off-shaped rectangle of the shelf support fitting that supports the hanger bar when the hanger bar is in position is horizontal and substantially perpendicular to the end wall of the shelf support fitting when the shelf support fitting abuts the end wall of a room, there is a back wall on the off-shaped rectangle of the shelf support fitting that goes part way up the back of the off-shaped rectangle which is vertical and substantially perpendicular to the end wall of the shelf support fitting, there is enough space left to allow the hanger bar to be put into place after the shelf support fitting has been installed on the end wall of a room; there are two round receptacles moulded, one in the top left corner and one in the top right corner of the off-shaped rectangle that is moulded into the shelf support fitting, these are to receive the two round pegs that are moulded into the cap; the cap moulded of high impact polystyrene is a flat piece of material in the same off-shaped rectangle that is moulded into the shelf support fitting, the lower edge of the cap is so contoured as to fit over the top contour of the hanger bar, there are two round pegs moulded into the cap, when this cap is placed with the two pegs on the cap going into the two receptacle moulded in the off-shaped rectangle that is moulded to the shelf support fitting, it then holds the hanger bar securely in place. 